They sent men throughout Redcliffe village. Their plan is to ten groups to separate area of the village. 

The church is considered as the southern part. 

"Nice talking to you. Again, I would like to thank you in advance for helping us." Viscount Keigel Hohmann shakes my hand. He is a middle-aged man with beard and sideburn without moustache. 

"Lord Hohmann. It's nearly the time."

A man calls him.

"Excuse me. I myself had to go to my station. May the Maker be with you." He then goes to other part of the village. 

Brian Haddock is outside. The plan changes and he won't be sitting duck inside.

Mabel Drake, she is testing and swinging swords. She appears to be well trained.

"Girls!"

I call the girls to me.

"We separate ourselves into three teams. Mabel, Ivanna and Selene. You linger near the church. You support Viscount Haddock's group."

"Understood."

"Clementine, Sekrit and Irijina. You will roam at Eastern part of the village. Basically, you cover five areas, supporting five groups."

The girls look at me worriedly.

"What about you, Hiro?"

"Yes. You two."

"Brita and me will roam the western area. Trust me."

"But.." 

"Yes. The ninja girls are not with you. So, it risky.."

"Trust me. Focus on your survival."

We go out separate way although the girls do peek glance at me.

The two of us stride further to area where wooden houses are attached to one another. We walk further and there is still no one except us. 

A movement in the shadows has me frozen; it's no more than a rustle but in this failing light my heart is on a hair-trigger. More noise comes. I take a step back and pat my hip for my sword. I crouch low, my lungs rapidly inflating and deflating with sweet sea-scented air.

"Hiro. About what you told me before.... That I was killed by Lyla and resurrected as a werewolf."

I grab her hand, pull her down, and whisper.

"Yes. You should realize your strength has increased tenfold. You are as quick as beasts. That's why I am overly confident with only you. Now, focus.."

"...Yes.."

She stands up upon being released by me.

Minutes pass and what was evening is rapidly becoming the night. Without warning, several black circles appear along the street. A head, no, skeletal head protrudes from it and gradually rises until there is a full skeleton with armour and equipments. Along this street alone, there are ten of those creatures. 

But for someone who survived even zombies, I have become quite calm. 

It is cold although not as bad as winter. 

Clank. Clank. That sounds are made as those things walk towards us.

I almost laugh, all that for some walking bones. I stand, feeling the ache in my legs, stillness and cold are never a good combination.

I draw my sword and bellows,

"Brita. It's time to show your beast!"

"Yeeeeaaaa!!"

***

As the skeletons and lower demons appear one after another, Brian shouts to raise the men's morale,

"Long live Redcliffe!" 

That brings a wave of cheers from the men. It seems that their fighting spirit is restored.

Just in the nick of time.

The roars of evils come from the way ahead, along with the sound of footsteps.

“They’re coming. We’ll build our defensive line here. The villagers  will go to the side with barricades. Leave the exposed to me!” Ivanna yells. Brian Haddock and a man, the girls Amber Drake and Selene are behind Ivanna.

"What's that? That never appeared before!" Brian's bodyguard yells.

The demons were on the main road towards the exposed area. Though they look like large dogs, their eyes are filled with an infernal intelligence, and in place of drool, flames leak from their maws.

There are 15 of those hounds here. Standing before them is Ivanna, who grips a long sword. She doesn't use rapier as most of the foes are fleshless skeletons.

"Blizzard." Selene chants.

Thin, and shoulder height ice spikes appear around Ivanna.

"You petty demons, don’t you dare look down on me.”

With most of the hounds deterred by the spikes, Ivanna cut a leaping hound in half with a single stroke.

The thin spikes surrounding her act as shields, blocking the attacks of the hounds from her flanks. She kicks away another one that is snapping at her ankles.

Meanwhile, Amber, Brian and two men strikes the deterred hounds with their swords. 

At the barricades, the men are fighting against skeletons. 

Ivanna is handling six hounds by herself. Several skeletons start to appear near her. Amber and the two men somehow kill several hounds trapped by Selene's ice. 

Less than nine hours to go, so magic user like Selene has to save energy by using small support magic spells. 

"Tend to the wounded!” Brian orders.

“No problem, my lord!”

For over half an hour, they hadn’t gotten through untouched, but the injuries aren’t severe despite the more numerous foes compared to last night. Considering they have to conserve their energy, it is quite an auspicious start.

Brian glances at the two outsiders, Selene whose head covered by robe and the one with commanding attitude, Ivanna. Brian can only think such great performance is due to the these girls.

“People on the sides, repeat this command! Advance, push barricades 50 meters and hold!”

The cry to advance echoed from both sides. Holding her sword, Ivanna goes forth as well.

***

"Slutty idiot. Don't attack the skeletons using your sharp weapons. It's useless." Sekrit calls Clementine and throw a rock at her.

"What?" Clementine kicks a skeleton and retreat to the brown skinned woman.

Sekrit grabs her chin, "Listen. You attack the demons with flesh. See.. that hounds and imps. Leave the skeletons to us."

"Fine. Whatever." 

Clementine dashes towards a group of men who are struggling against demonic hounds and imps. 

"Hahahaha. I really enjoy this!!" She jumps and stabs an imp before shoot towards a hound, piercing it's face. Killed demons turn to dust. She repeatedly goes amok in the middle of enemies. 

Meanwhile, the tall Irijina pierces her spear into space within skeleton's bone, lifting up before plummeting to the ground. The defeated skeleton doesn't turn into dust but their bones just crumble. The bones, armours and equipments of defeated skeletons scattered everywhere. 

Irijina then stop an attack with the spear's blade and rotates until the hilt at another end hit a head of a skeleton. She rotates another round. Skeletons swarming her are pushed away and she  crushes the head of that closest skeleton. 

Sekrit whose fighting style is balanced, roams the area.

She kill imps, hounds and skeletons. When she notices whichever party being overwhelmed, she jumps in. 

Once the enemies become scarce, the trio go to other battlefield. 

***